System overview

The 3i Marianas SDC spinning disk confocal microscope is a fast imaging system which provides a trade-off between confocality, resolution and speed. It is an inverted microscope ideal for live cell applications which require fast acquisition speeds rather than high resolution images. The scanning unit achieves confocality by directing light through a spinning disk with many small pinholes. Images are then acquired with a sensitive EMCCD which allows for very small exposure times but is limited in resolution to 512×512 pixels. The stage is motorized and furthermore equipped with a piezo for Z displacement so fast 4D imaging is possible in multiple stage positions. The system is also equipped with a large size incubator for temperature control and a small stage incubator for CO2 supply. With this system you can perform optical sectioning of fluorescent samples which are too thick for a widefield system such as the Zeiss Cell Observer. Even though its resolution is not as high as a point-scanning confocal system such as the Zeiss LSM 880 or Zeiss LSM 710, it is much faster than these two systems. You can also check the Zeiss Cell Observer SD if you need a spinning disk with a Definite Focus system for long time-lapse acquisitions. If your personal computer cannot handle all the data you collected, check out the Big Guy or Colossus.